Category Archives: Business

5 Reasons Why You Should be on the Google+ Social media Platform to Grow Your Online Business

Yes, I know…it is the next big thing…AGAIN! We have heard it several times that Google+ is going to be huge, yet you don’t use it or really even know what it is. So why do you want to be on it now?

Usually, you want to use social media outlets your target audience is active on. Not always. Insert Google+, the failed social media platform created by Google to compete with Facebook and Twitter. It comes and it goes without you ever really noticing. So why would I push you to be active on a failed platform? Sure, Google+ lacks the prevalence into popular culture that Facebook and Twitter can rightly brag about. But it offers unique benefits to marketers for growing your business, enough to justify the minimal time it takes to grow a thriving Google+ presence.

But first, what really is Google+?

While Google+ is a unique social media platform, it can be helpful to think of it in terms of other more familiar platforms. It offers an easy way to curate and organization information (like Pinterest), the option to follow anyone without needing them to follow you back (like Twitter), and the ability to create a personal profile and a business page (like Facebook). Unlike other social media platforms that are relationship driven (connect with people you know), Google+ is more interest driven (connect with people who share similar ideas/interests). What really sets Google+ apart, though, is that it’s created by Google. And Google rewards users who consume their social media platform, resulting in the biggest benefit of Google+ being its SEO benefits.

Google+ SEO benefits

Google+ improves your SEO through a few ways. First, posts that are high in shares and +1 (the Google+ version of “likes” and “favorites”) rank higher in search results. So when you publish content high in shares and +1, that content is seen more by individuals and increases the chances they check out your website, become a customer, etc.

Second, through the use of Google+ Circles (similar to friending someone or liking a page on Facebook). If an individual is logged into Google and they added you to their Google+ Circle, your content is more likely to show up in their search results.

Third, your Google+ posts are immediately indexed into search results, translating into SEO benefits quicker than if you were to post the same content on another platform.

When your content shows up higher in search results, more people can discover your content. More eyes on your content means more visits to your website, more conversions into customers, etc. SEO is a crucial aspect of business building, and Google+ is a great way to strengthen your SEO.

While SEO is the biggest benefit to Google+, it is definitely not the only benefit.

Audience Segmentation

Google+ offers a feature called “Google+ Circles” which allows you to organize contacts into specialized groups. Each time you publish content, you get the option to only share with relevant group(s). This allows you to provide solid content specialized for individual users, providing them high benefit without oversaturating their feeds.

Target Audience Finding

Another great Google+ feature is “communities.” These are similar to Facebook groups. They are created by individuals and members within communities share and engage with content. Communities are categorized into different topics, such as football or photography. Posts are organized into sub-topics (for example, in a freelance writers’ group there are topics of marketing, writing tips, and writing tools) to help users sort through the high quantity of information.

Say you are a healthy food blogger. You can join communities such as healthy recipes or vegetarian eating. Individuals in these groups are targeted audiences who may want to consume your content and use your services. You can post regularly quality content (such as recipes) in hopes of directing members of the community to your blog. It’s applying the content marketing strategy (provide quality free content to be seen as an expert in your industry and increase the likelihood consumers will use your business when they need to buy a product/service) to a highly targeted audience. As a result, your content marketing efforts are more efficient.

Improving Your Knowledge

Communities aren’t just for you to share information-you can use them to gain knowledge too! First, you can improve the relevance and quality your content. See what types of content other similar businesses post to gain new ideas for blog posts. Find out what topics individuals respond to, and tailor your content to fit that. Second, you can join communities related to content marketing, social media, and the like to stay up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and tools.

Using Google+

Google+ offers many rich benefits to marketers who take advantage of it. If you’re really strapped for time, you can connect your Google+ account to Hootsuite and share every Facebook post to Google+ as well. If you’ve got more time, however, the recommended strategy is to treat Google+ as its own social media platform. The style of posts that resonate most with your audience on Google+ will be different than the posts that resonate with your audience on Facebook, Twitter, etc. You can take content you’ve already made (such as blog posts or newsletter copy) and share on Google+.

Ready to take advantage of Google+ but aren’t sure where to start? Alpine Small Business Solutions is here for you! We’d love to help you with Google+, or any aspect of small business building. Simply give us a call or shoot us an email today!

10 Hidden Gems in Facebook Personal Pages

Facebook is a fantastic invention-you already love it, but there’s a lot hidden beneath the surface. We’ve dug deep into Facebook to find the top 10 hidden secrets.

Message Requests

Not every message that’s sent to you on Facebook shows up in your inbox. Messages sent by someone you are not friends with on Facebook go into a “message request” section.

To access these, click the at the top right of your screen. Then click “message requests” (to the right of “recent”).

Save Button for Posts

Sometimes we find great content on Facebook . . . right when we have the least amount of time to actually read it. Never fear-the save button is here! The save button allows you to privately save links to read later.

If the post you want to save popped up on your news feed, simply click the to the right of the post and click “save”.

If you’re viewing the post from a page, click … and click “save.”

To view your saved posts, go to the left menu and click “saved” (or you can go to Facebook.com/saved).

When you want to delete a post, go to the “saved” posts section. Click “archive” at the top and click next to the post you want to remove, then click “delete.”

Download Copy of FB Data

It’s no surprise that Facebook stores a lot of data on its consumers—A LOT. While you can’t stop Facebook from storing this data, you can access it (or at least some of it). Facebook allows users to download their information, which includes information you can see by using your account (such as posts you share and your activity log) and information you cannot see from your account (such as ads you’ve clicked on and IP addresses that are logged when you use Facebook).

Facebook provides a long list of what types of data is available in the downloaded information (which you can access here: https://www.facebook.com/help/405183566203254) but there are a few key subjects that may be of the most interest to people: searches you’ve made on Facebook, removed friends, pending friend requests, any friends apps or pages you’ve hidden from your news feed, list of people who follow you, and a list of topics that you may be targeted against based on your status likes interests and other timeline data.

To download the information, go into your settings section. Click “download a copy of your Facebook data” below your general account settings. Click “start my archive.” Depending on how long you have been on Facebook and how much you post, it may take a while, but they will email you when it is ready for you to view.

Adding a Legacy Contact

While it’s uncomfortable to think about, it’s important to decide what you want to happen to your Facebook account when you pass away. Facebook provides two options: delete your account permanently or leave up the account and allow loved ones to share memories on it. For the later, you’ll need to designate a legacy contact. They’ll be able to write a pinned post (which can be used to provide memorial service information or share a message on your behalf), accept new friend requests from loved ones, and update the profile picture and cover photo. They will not be able to remove any friends, read your messages, change or remove past posts, or actually log into your account.

To add a legacy contact, log into your settings and click “security” and then “legacy contact.” Type in your designated contact’s name and click “add.” If you later decide you want to change the contact, you’ll be able to click on the contact and click “remove.” Then you can add your new legacy contact.

It’s difficult, but important, to think about what will happen when you pass on. If you run a business, be sure to check out our post on how to prepare your business for an unexpected life crisis: link to post here.

Edit Ad Preferences

Ads can be annoying. Ads that relate absolutely nothing to your life or preferences are even more annoying. Fortunately, Facebook allows you to edit your ad preferences. Simply click (www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/edit/). The link will bring you to a page listing topics and sub-topics that Facebook picked based on your activities on and off Facebook. You’ll be able to delete irrelevant preferences, as well as add preferences from a set list of topics.

Send and Receive Money Through Facebook

Yes, you read that right. You can now send money to people through Facebook Messenger without a charge! First, you need to add a debit card. Click “settings,” then click “payments,” then click “add new debit card.” Currently, the only way to pay through Messenger is debit. You can also add a PIN if you wish for an extra security measure (click “settings” then click “payments” then click “PIN”).

Once your debit account is activated in Messenger, you’re ready to send money. Create a message and click the $ icon and enter the payment amount. Click “pay” in the top right to send it.

To receive money for the first time, open the conversation and click “add card” in the message to add your debit card.

Just like with other transfers, it may take up to three business days for the banks to make the funds available.

Embedding Posts

Did you know you can embed public Facebook posts onto your website? It’s simple and a great way to add visual content to your site. First, navigate to the post and click “embed post” from the drop down menu.

A box will pop up with a code, which you will need to copy and paste into your website.

Embedded posts are a great way to post testimonials, include examples, quote sources, show off your best content, and more!

Friendship Pages

This feature was developed during a Facebook Hackathon. It is basically a timeline, but for a relationship instead of one person. It gathers all the communication (posts, replies, tagged photos, etc.) that involve you and a friend you choose, and places it all in the Friendship Page. You can view these posts, and even personalize the cover photo and profile picture.

To access the page, go to your friend’s profile and click and select “see friendship” from the dropdown.

Play Chess With a Friend Through Messenger

Who doesn’t love a competition of intelligence and strategy between friends? Simply type “@fbchess play” into a conversation with a friend and Messenger will bring up a game of chess. To move type in the phrase “@fbchess” followed by the letter of the piece (K for king, Q for queen, B for bishop, N for knight, R for rook, and P for Pawn) and the letter and number of the location‑For example, “@fbchessPe4” would move a pawn to square E4. If you get confused, type in “@fbchess help.” If you wish to end a match, type in “@fbchess resign.” To pick which color to start with, type “@fbchess play white” or “@fbchess play black” (white goes first).

Play Basketball With a Friend Through Messenger

Maybe chess isn’t your thing. How about a friendly basketball competition? Simply send a friend a basketball emoji and then click on the sent image to begin the game. The scores will be logged in the message feed so you can brag (or listen to bragging) easily.

To play the game, flick up on your phone to launch the ball into the hoop and try to get as many in as possible.

Facebook for personal use offers hours of endless entertainment, from dominating at a basketball game to reminiscing over old memories when viewing the Friendship Page. Facebook is a great tool for businesses as well. If you’d like help utilizing the benefits of Facebook for your business, simply call us or email us today! We are here to help with any aspect of business building, including social media marketing through Facebook.

Facebook Removes the 20% Text Rule

To the joy of marketers everywhere, Facebook finally altered the 20% text rule! This recent change will provide more flexibility and freedom to marketers, while likely impacting the ad experience for Facebook users. Below we break down some common questions about this recent change.

What was the rule before the change?

Previously, Facebook rejected ad requests where more than 20% of the image contained text. This caused frustration among marketers whose ads were rejected for containing just barely too much text, and for brands whose logo was text. Some arguably creative and effective ads were also rejected due to containing too much text.

Why did this rule exist if it caused so much frustration?

Facebook, as it repeatedly claims, is all about the user experience. Part of the user experience is the appearance and feel of the timeline. The line of thinking from Facebook went something like this… if ads appeared on timelines containing massive amounts of text, the timelines would appear cluttered and users would be less satisfied with the look of their timelines. Preventing advertisers from using too much text also helped push advertisers to make more creative ads that focused on “showing” rather than “telling,” since you rely on words to “tell.”

So with this change, can I now use as much text as I want on ads?

Marketers are now given the option to use photos in their ads that contain more than 20% text. No longer will beautiful ads be rejected for containing just a little bit too much text-marketers rejoice! The new change means Facebook will not stop advertisers from using an image simply because of an abundance of text (other restrictions, such as inappropriate images, still apply). However, Facebook still is pursuing the user experience as the priority. While it removed the “stick” form of motivation (punishing users for ads with too much text by preventing those ads from being published), it simultaneously implemented a “carrot” approach of motivation (providing an incentive to still use ads with minimal text). So even though it may not be a requirement, they still are going to make sure marketers keep limiting text at the top of their minds.

So, why would I still want to use ads with minimal text?

First, ads with too much text are not visually appealing. They make the photo appear cluttered and busy, two things you want to avoid because viewers will likely skip over it. Of course, there are exceptions where the cluttered and busy look is used to make a creative point, but generally speaking it’s a good idea to limit text from a graphic design standpoint.

Second, using too much text will negatively affect the amount of people who see your ad. Facebook has said that, given the same budget, ads with more text will reach a lower number of individuals than ads with less text. Hence the carrot again. They will motivate you to do what they like by giving you more views. Facebook won’t stop you from using too much text, but it makes it clear it is in the best interest of the marketer to continue using minimal text.

How will I know if my ad still uses too much text?

Images uploaded for ads will be placed into one of four categories. The one marketers should aim for is “image text: OK” because it will see no negative impact on reach. These photos contain no or minimal text. The next category “image text: low” sees a slightly limited ad reach. The third category “image text: medium” may see limited ad reach. The fourth category “image text: high” may not even reach the intended audience at all. When advertisers upload a photo in the grid tool, Facebook will let the user know which category the photo falls into.

10 Websites You Can Submit Your Press Release To For FREE

What is a Press Release you might ask...Well, it is a story a company or person wants to share that provide news worthy information about a particular event, service or product. There are many methods of getting the Press Release out to the masses and many of them cost to have your Press Release syndicated over the internet. There are also a myriad of sites that offer internet syndication for free…you just have to find them.

Below I have a list of 10 Press Release sites that are free of charge to submit to. Some have restrictions on how many Press Releases you can submit each day, or have some features disabled unless you upgrade your account, but free is free. You can’t really complain, right? Below are 9 easy to use hassle free websites you can submit your next Press Release to at no charge.

Don’t have time? Does all this info makes you dizzy? No problem, we got you covered. Contact us, today and let Alpine Small Business Solutions take care of all your Press Release Submission for you.

Click the icon to be taken directly to their website for more detailed information.

PR.com is a unique website where companies can promote literally everything about their business in a one stop shop business marketplace. A cross between a public relations and advertising entity, PR.com is a directory of businesses, products and services, a press release distribution service, job search website, and online publication of articles, reviews and celebrity interviews. With a full company profile, each business listed on PR.com has a powerful means by which to generate quality leads as well as gain worldwide and local exposure for all of their products, services and other business information.

PRLog was founded to help small, medium and large businesses and organizations in their online activities. Currently, the website offers following services press release distribution, press room hosting, business directory, job listings, and an expert directory.

Online PR Media was born a news announcement broadcasting solution that offers a perfect blend of traditional PR and SEO marketing. Online PR Media offers affordable multimedia press releases that achieve high search engine visibility — putting your message in front of the right people at exactly the right time. We’ve combined all of the features that internet marketers, business owners, and journalists have asked for in an online press release distribution site.

Newswire get your press release published on 7000+ News and Media Outlets. Your story is syndicated to a wide range of business, financial and news outlets to increase your presence online and in search. From our Basic Press Release to our Premium Distribution, you can select from a wide range of plans. Choose from the many affordable options we offer for distribution. New features include your own Newsroom, Email campaigns and Social Media. Submission is easy. Fill out one form and your press release is ready to be reviewed by our editorial staff. Detailed metrics provide insights on your content’s views and engagement. Premium submissions enjoy a detailed PDF report of your press release syndication.

Submit your free press release to an audience of millions with PressReleaser. PressReleaser is the hot new way to publicize your events, new products and other announcements. It only takes a few minutes to launch your free press release out to an audience of millions.

Directions Magazine is the geospatial industry’s oldest and most respected source of information and news. Engage with their articles, social media and webinars covering the latest trends and solutions. Directions is ready to share your message with their geospatial audience, 150,000 professionals around the world. They will target their 50,000 email subscribers, share on their growing social media channels, promote in their bi-monthly magazine digest, and display registration prominently on their website.

ThomasNet News® is a news service publishing news on new industrial products, services and industry news. If you would like to submit your new product, service or other industry news for review by the editors. If the new product release meets the editorial criteria, the editors will write a 400 to 500 character news summary of your product and you will be notified when they publish if you provide an e-mail address. Industry news may be published as submitted without notification.

PRZOOM is a press release & news distribution online submission service to corporations, PR agencies, market research reports, business journalists, freelance writers, news content providers sites. Their mission is to ensure that every organization has access to the media, regardless of size and geographic location.

Openpr.com reaches a large and constantly increasing number of decision-makers and policy-makers, which makes it an interesting platform for your corporate communication.
Furthermore, your article also appears regularly on Google News, often just a few minutes after its release on openPR.

PR*Urgent is a free press release and news distribution website. We publish high quality press releases, that gets you visibility in major search engines and news sites including Google News, MSN, Yahoo, Bing and much more.

Relax Yourself to Holiday Cheer Part 3 of 3

I know it is hard to believe, but your company will survive without you for a couple weeks. Your emails, voicemails, and to-do lists will all be there when you get back. Everyone deserves a holiday that is stress free, which means you have to trust that people at the office will be able to handle it. There are people who are excited and looking forward to the opportunity for the experience and to prove themselves. Give them this time while you are away to step up. This is a great opportunity for people to learn how to resolve problems themselves.

When you start to feel overwhelmed with all the preparation, remember that you also must take care of yourself. Increased anxiety and stress weaken your immune system. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you could easily end up sick your entire holiday, and no one wants that. So even while you have many things to do before you go, remember to step back and take a deep breath. Sneak in some time for yourself. Make sure you are still eating all your (healthy) meals and getting enough sleep. Alpine Small Business Solutions Relax

As a small business owner myself, I know that it hard to step back and fully relax, so I compiled a list of some proven techniques to let it all go.

Breathing Technique. Controlled breathing is the simplest and most practiced relaxation technique for anxiety. You can do this anywhere and use it as an instant “reset” button when things start to feel like they are piling up.

Meditation. This is an effective way to enhance self-control, a key requirement to keep anxiety from taking over. Sometimes all it takes is sitting quietly.

Exercise. This may seem like another chore you need to get done, but don’t skip the gym. This is one of the best ways to relieve stress, clear your mind, and take out a little aggression if needed. Think of the way you feel when you are done with a good workout—that high can help your accomplish more.

Do something you enjoy. Whatever it is that makes you happy. Take that time for yourself. Remember this is your holiday!

Be spoiled. Go get that massage or pedicure and enjoy the quiet time. Try a yoga class, acupuncture, or another spa service that will help you relax.

You have taken all the steps to prepare for this, so relax and have a great vacation, in the knowledge that you left everything in the best state possible before going away.

Above all, keep in mind what the true meaning of the holiday season is all about for you. The season can be a special time of the year when you spend time with those you love and reflect on all the blessings in your life.

Organize Yourself to Holiday Cheer Part 2 of 3

Now you are really feeling the crunch. You have your schedule planned but now you must execute it to every detail to make sure your holiday time off goes as planned. Well, here are a few tips on how to keep this time of the year organized and stress free.

Delegate. If you have too much to do, it just might be your fault. Are you using all your resources? Did you contact your VA and pass off a couple tasks that you don’t necessarily have to do? Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy when it comes to always wanting to take control and do everything ourselves. Remember that your virtual assistant is there to help.

Debrief. If your staff members are experienced, you likely don’t need to leave a step-by-step operating procedure, but make sure if any specific sets of instructions are needed, you leave them where they can be found and write them with plenty of time. Brief the people before you leave because usually in your hustle and bustle to leave, you aren’t leaving the most detailed instructions. Even better yet, plan on bringing your replacements in the meetings a few weeks before so they are in the loop, or have them look over your should the week before so they can ask questions and see what you did to complete your day-to-day tasks. This will help them feel more confident about doing the task while you are away, and it will help you avoid calls while you are supposed to be relaxing.

Leave yourself a note. This may sound a little obvious, but you will also want to make your return to be as smooth as possible. Think of the tasks that you may not have completely finished. You will want to be able to step right in and get back to work. Here are some ideas:

Reminder to turn off your out of office reply
Where you are with any unfinished tasks
Immediate action items
Your to-do list your already created
A list of appointment times to meet with the people to whom you delegated tasks

Declutter and clean. When you leave, make sure your desk is clear, and your office is ready to come back to work. It will give you peace of mind as you walk out there door, and it will give you a nice fresh start to help you from feeling overwhelmed the moment you walk in the door. If you have someone completing daily tasks while you are away, make sure they know where everything is and where it goes.

A few organizing tips:

Have a place for everything
Throw away what you don’t need
Label your folders and drawers
Get your desk back in order before you leave each day
Ask for help

Congratulations! You are ready to head out the door and enjoy your time off. Make sure you take this time of to “reset” and recharge. Part 3 has many tips of how to relax and make this time off the best yet.

Schedule Your Way to Holiday Cheer Part 1 of 3

It is that time of the year where the days are getting shorter and the to-do list keeps getting longer. It can be easy to get overwhelmed with how much you have to do, the time you want to take off, the gifts you needs to get, the school needs a volunteer, you have a holiday concert to go to, and so on with the never ending list of holiday festivities. At Alpine Small Business Solutions, we see it every year with clients trying to frantically clean everything off their desks before the end of the year or their annual leave. We have three main tips for you to keep the panic out of the holiday and make sure you are still on top of it all: Schedule, Organize, and Relax. We have a three-part blog series to help you make it to the end of the year and time off in a breeze when you use your online business manager.

Schedule

Begin early. I know we all don’t like the holidays running together. Halloween is displayed before school supplies are put up, Thanksgiving is sold out before trick or treating began, and Christmas has taken over the entire fall/winter season instead of just staying in December. Yes, it gets tiresome, but you should put this practice to use to make your holiday time go more smoothly. Start early and schedule everything you need to accomplish with plenty of advance. Remember, everyone is likely trying to do the same thing you are, and you don’t want to end up at the bottom of a long pile on someone’s desk.

Leave on time. Don’t stay late at work trying to get something else done; you will always find more things that need done and you are neglecting all your other to-dos.

scheduling help

Make a to-do list that is effective. Remember to focus on today and not every single task that has to be done sometime in the future. If you skip a task on your to-do list, it should get a higher priority the next day, and not everything should be in your “red” category—not everything can be an emergency, or there is no point of color coding.

To-do lists are a great way to keep projects organized not only when leaving for the holidays but also on a daily basis. In fact, I recommend taking 15 minutes at the end of each day to create a to-do list for the following day.

Schedule when you are going complete each to-do
item. A to-do list is a good start, but now it’s time to schedule when you will complete each task. If you have items that you need to delegate, book time to hand off the project. Treat each project as its own appointment. Honor that time and protect it from interruptions as you would time with a client.

A schedule is only good if you plan it and stick to it. You will keep yourself on track for your holiday fun. Next, watch for how to get organized to get out the door to family and fun.

How Mom is Rocking Strategy and Implementation

Moms are the best, aren’t they? They seem like they can do anything at times. They have super powers of being able to make anything happen, but really, they are masters of the business strategy and implementation. There are many factors to running every business. So many tasks and things to do to stay above water (also very familiar with being a mom) that sometimes it is hard to really to take your latest greatest ideas and turn them in to a profit. Simply, that is exactly what strategy and implementation is: taking your brilliant idea and finding a way for it to make you money. Mom may not be making a profit, but she is the master of building a strategy and implementing it to make sure it happens.

Mom makes business strategies and strategic implementation really easy to understand. Strategy is the plan. This is what you want to do and how you are going to get there. Implementation is the process of taking that plan and making it work. These two go hand in hand. A plan doesn’t do any good if you don’t have mom there to make sure it is followed through with.

Here is how to look at a well-run strategy that is fully implemented by mom.
Think of a mother trying to plan a family vacation. She develops her plan. She knows what she wants to do: She wants to take the family to Disney World. Now she does her research. She decides when she wants to go, she is going to get a house sitter and dog walker arranged to take care of everything while she is gone. Mom does her research on costs: airlines, hotels, rides, foods, souvenirs, movies, junk food, snacks, meeting the princesses, breakfast with Goofy, a couple’s massage, etc. Mom thinks of all the goodies that will make everyone in the family happy. She makes sure that the husband has the time scheduled off work. She buys the motion sickness medicine and she lines up everything that needs to happen in order for her family to go on vacation. This is her strategic plan. She knows what she wants and how she is going to get there. She knows how much she has to budget and how long she has their launch (vacation). She has made her plan.

Now, Mom has to implement that plan. This is where mom’s super powers really shine. Now is the time she has to start taking action. She makes sure everyone knows the plan and is on board to make it to Disney World. Now is when she is budgeting for groceries every month and putting a little extra away each week. She waits to buy her the new pair of jeans she desperately need, and puts a little more money away. She rescheduled a new dog walker because the other cancelled. She rents a movie and makes popcorn at home instead of taking everyone out this week. She watches travel sites and books the flights with a killer deal. She stays strong and says no the ice cream run everyone wants and puts another 20 dollars away. She gets the camera ready. She doesn’t get her hair done and goes with a little longer look for the trip, and puts that money in to the vacation fund. She makes sure everyone’s bags are packed and that they have everything they need. She makes sure the family arrives to the airport on time and heads off the family vacation of their dreams. The steps mom takes to make sure that her plan is executed and everyone makes it to Disney World with everything they want is the implementation. Mom is a rockstar!

Your business needs a mom. An OBM mom who can write you a strategic plan and then help you implement it. You need someone who is going to be able to take you from your dream of going to Disney World to actually being there, on budget, with everyone and everything you need. Alpine Small Business solutions can do just that. We have the all-inclusive service that will walk your through the process and make sure all tasks are being done to make your dream a success.

2014 National Small Business Week

Honoring America’s Entrepreneurs: Small Business Owners DO Make a Difference

Let’s salute ourselves! We are the small business owners who dare to dream and create a company that we are passionate about. It’s often a difficult road and many people find it challenging to succeed, but with teamwork and dedication, the small business owners keep America strong. We provide an essential foundation and network for our communities!
May 12–16, 2014, has been proclaimed National Small Business Week by US President Barack Obama. The US Small Business Administration recognizes and highlights outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs from all 50 states. Important contributions of distinguished owners have been honored since 1963, when President John F. Kennedy first proclaimed the event.

The National Small Business Person of the Year, chosen from representatives across the country, will be awarded at the end of the week. In addition, the Phoenix award will be given to a public official, a business owner, and a volunteer involved with disaster recovery in a community.

Check out some of the amazing ways that small businesses make America strong.

50 percent of Americans own a small business or work for one!
Small businesses create 2 out of 3 new jobs in the United States every year!
Small businesses drive innovation and increase global competiveness!

Alpine Small Business Solutions is proud to be part of the network of small business owners and is committed to continuing to offer a wide variety of professional services with our personal touch.

Here are some ways that you can help your business remain strong and creative in the coming years!

1. Delegate your routine tasks to a virtual assistant or online business manager.

2. Seek imaginative solutions with other creative people.

3. Add people to your team to expand your horizons.

4. Take time to interact with other small business owners.

5. Celebratethe passion that you bring to your business.

The publisher of SUCCESS magazine, Darren Hardy, says, “As any small business owner knows, entrepreneurship can be a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, terrifying twists and turns. But they wouldn’t have it any other way. I believe we’re living in the greatest era of opportunity for entrepreneurs and National Small Business Week is a great example of that.”

We DO make a difference in the American way of life, for our families, our communities, our country, and the world. Alpine Small Business Solutions salutes all the small businesses and celebrates with you for everything that you bring to the business world. Thank you for your creativity and perseverance! Together, we are strong and growing!

Events will take place all over the United States honoring the small business. For additional information, visit http://www.sba.gov/nsbw/nsbw.

Denver has many events going on for Small Business Week. The city of Denver Office of Economic Development is sponsoring a series of small-business classes. For more information about Small Business Events in the Denver area go to www.denversbdc.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 25

ACCESS Opportunity with the City & County of Denver General Services/Purchasing Division, 9–11 a.m., 1445 Market St., 4th Floor Boardroom.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26

National Healthcare Reform: How It Will Impact Your Small Business—8–11 a.m., Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, 1445 Market St., 5th Floor.

THURSDAY, MAY 27

Road to Recovery—9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Kimbal Hall, 700 E. 24th Ave.
During these tough economic times, learn what your company can do to better position itself on the road to recovery.

San Francisco is on Monday, May 12, at Twitter headquarters and will be streamed on SBA.gov beginning at 11:40 am (Eastern). The event will discuss strategies to help small business owners learn how social media can be integrated into marketing strategies to help drive business growth.

Kansas City is on Tuesday, May 13, at Burns and McDonnell headquarters. The program includes “Are You Bankable: A Lender’s Perspective,” “Contracting with the Government,” and “From Small to Big: The Dynamics of Growing Your Business.”

Boston is on Thursday, May 15, at Microsoft New England R&D Center. Sessions are about online marketing strategies, rejuvenating your business, and finding capital for your business.

Washington, DC, is on Thursday and Friday, May 15–16, at the US Chamber of Commerce. The SBA will live stream several events, including speakers and award ceremonies for local and national business owners.

New York City is holding an event to help you promote your business into the mobile age. It is Wednesday, May 14, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT). You can attend in person or stream it from the Small Business Administration web page.

9 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Stay Active & Fit While Being Desk Bound

I love what I do for a living! I am blessed to get to work from my home office and be here when my kids go to school and when they get home from school. Although, I try to live an active lifestyle, I am still desk bound most days. Don’t get me wrong, being desk bound has given me so many great opportunities and has really elevated me to the next level in my Virtual Assistant and Online Business Manager Practice. I absolutely love the thrill of being challenged by the tasks that I do while connecting with so many diverse people and helping guide entrepreneurs on ways they can lessen their load by delegating, automating, and systematizing their current processes.

Online Business Manager | Staying Fit While Being Deskbound

This is Jessica’s Home Office Set Up

As much as many of us love that we work from the comforts of our home, most of us don’t want to live an inactive lifestyle and be sedentary all day. Some people can delegate their work to be done by a virtual assistants or business managers to help reduce the hours in which they are completely desk bound. If you are lucky enough to have a great team of virtual professionals, awesome, that means you are more apt to get out and enjoy a round of golf, an hour of exercise at the gym, a bike ride, a brisk walk….or some hula hooping. For others, it may be a little more difficult to get out and get active during working hours, so to stay fit, you often have to be creative and find ways to exercise and keep moving even if you are desk bound.

Here are 9 suggestions to incorporate fitness in to your daily work routine.

Get an exercise ball instead of a chair. This will help with your core strength as you sit and balance. Choose a ball color that makes you happy, and this will stimulate your energy! Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on an exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve balance and flexibility. Occasional bouncing can also help your body interact with gravity to a greater degree than sitting on a stationary chair, as well as being fun.
Take a break at least once an hour. Stand up, stretch, bend over, twist your body, lift your legs—get the blood flowing. If possible, deliver messages directly to your coworkers versus sending an email, what a great excuse for a short walk. Or if you have a dog, take him for a romp around the block or at a nearby park. Research shows that simply standing up, about 35 times a day or so, will counteract the cardiovascular health risks associated with uninterrupted sitting. Standing up once every hour was more effective than walking on a treadmill for 15 minutes for cardiovascular and metabolic changes.
Have a set of 5-pound weights handy. Several times per day, you can lift them over your head and swing them over your shoulder! Don’t allow your elbows to extend more than two inches behind your body. This exercise helps loosen your shoulder muscles and eases back tension. Strength training is an integral part of a well-rounded exercise program, and is recommended for both sexes and all ages. For every exercise that works the front of your body, be sure to do an exercise that targets the rear.
Place a foot massager under your desk. These wooden bars will provide relaxation while helping exercise your lower body. You can use them with your shoes on, or, if it’s appropriate in your office, slip your shoes off for a great foot massage. This can be done without out anyone knowing you are even doing it.
Reach for the sky! Also, reach way across the desk, reach for the wall, or reach for anything in any directions… just stretch and reach! Organize the layout of your office space in such a way that you have to stand up to reach oft-used files, the telephone, or your printer, rather than having everything within easy reach. Ideally, you’ll want to stand up at least once every 60 minutes, or more, so simply moving one or more things you frequently reach for could allow you to build this kind of movement in to your regular work day.
Hold on to the edge…of your chair or desk, then push yourself up and away (be sure that the item you are pushing away from is sturdy and won’t slip). Make it an action that is similar to a pushup. Also, use the desk or chair to steady yourself as you bend over to touch the floor.
Lift your legs. While seated you can march in place or make dance patterns. There are a series of moves you can do at your desk that will both release tension in your neck and back, as well as ease some of the day’s stress. You want to make sure you are keeping your blood moving.
Motivational Fitness Gadget. Whether it is a Fitbit (that is what I have), a Bodybugg, a Nike Fuel, or similar, these nifty little gadgets are an amazing way to help you with your motivation to get moving. It gives you a visual of how much (or how little) you are actually moving during the day. These devices can tell you all kinds of important information such as steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed, and with my Fitbit it even analyses my sleep patterns. They act as your very own personal trainer in a way. These nifty wristbands will also allow you to set goals for yourself and track your progress across all of your devices, like your smartphone and tablet. One of the girls I work with also has a Fitbit, so we connect on there to keep our “friendly” competition going (which is great motivation) and to help remind the other to get away from the desk when she doesn’t have very many steps in for the day using the cheer or taunt feature that is build in. I love it.
MyFitnessPal. This is an awesome tool, and it is free. I use it every single day. It is a Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker. They say that 70% of fitness and weight control is attributed to your diet. So tracking your food intake is super important to staying healthy and fit. My Fitbit even syncs with Myfitness pal, so that I can be sure to track everything I am doing. It also has a a large database of foods that you can select from, or if you are creating your own meals, you can download the app to your mobile devices and it will allow you to scan product labels for instant calorie counts. Another tool that I absolutely adore.
Bonus! I know I said I’d share 9 ways, but I have one more! Close your eyes; slowly rotate your head from side to side and back and forth. Think of your happy place and take a deep breath. In one minute, you’ll be refreshed and ready to resume your work!

If you need help, I strongly suggest setting a timer on your phone or your watch to alert you to take a break at least once an hour. You don’t have to stop working, just take a quick break to rejuvenate your mental and physical well being! And if you really need to just have something fun to do, take a look at this online site, compiled by Alpine Small Business Solutions: https://www.alpinesbsolutions.com/fun-stuff/. Great ideas!

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